


Color Me Adventurously

by LaNayruNova



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, MapleStory
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-18
Updated: 2014-03-24
Packaged: 2018-01-12 23:19:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1204255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaNayruNova/pseuds/LaNayruNova
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens to the soul after a person dies?</p>
<p>It comes back in a brand new way, of course.</p>
<p>Now the Dark Lord is back in action. Only it's not quite what anyone expected, least of all him. Welcome to the Dark Lord's new life. A world filled with bright, eye-watering colors, and awfully cute monsters. A world that will make the Dark Lord wonder why he was ever evil in the first place.</p>
<p>The Maple World</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Grendel the Really-Old-and-Possibly-More-Irritating-than-Dumbledore Wizard

So this is what it feels like to be dead. He didn’t think it would be so…peaceful. Had he known, the Dark Lord may have decided that horcruxes really were too much of an effort. He allowed himself to float along in the warmth and darkness, and realized that he’d never been happier. The Dark Lord didn’t have to listen to his followers bicker or sneer at each other, didn’t have to hear screams from anywhere nearby, and certainly didn’t have to hear a particularly crazed yet somehow sultry voice in his ear. The Dark Lord shivered at the mere thought.  
  
As if on cue, he heard as if from far off in the darkness a voice. He couldn’t make out what it was saying at first and quite frankly he didn’t care. He was dead for crying out loud. What does the voice matter? Unfortunately, thinking this just made the voice clearly audible and he drew in a sharp breath. “Are you quite alright?”  
  
The Dark Lord peeled his eyes open and his surroundings hazed into view. The first thing he was able to register was the voice that woke him up. Dumbledore! Of course the old fool would follow him into the afterlife. It wasn’t enough that he’d made his school life miserable and continued to make him miserable throughout his career. “Oh good, you’re awake now,” Dumbledore said. “Perhaps now I should tell Wing or Rowan that all is well. Poor girls, they were terrified when they found you. And here I thought fairies didn’t care about humans. It just goes to show you – ”  
  
Dumbledore trailed off as the Dark Lord brought a hand to his eye and rubbed. He thought it would hurt like it always did when he involuntarily did that some mornings, but it didn’t. It fact he was quite surprised when he realized he had eye lids again. And a nose. And eyebrows. His hand reached further up and he ran it through fairly long, smooth, and lush hair. He tried to pull it to see. It easily shaded his eyes and he saw that it was precisely the same color as it had been in his Hogwarts days.  
  
“Hm.” The Dark Lord shrugged and sat up. Then he gazed up at the oblivious wizard before him and realized it was in fact not Dumbledore. What gave him away? Well, his robes were a blinding white and embroidered with gold. The Dark Lord remembered the flamboyant maroon suit Dumbledore had worn on the first day they’d met. No, this was definitely not Dumbledore.  
  
Suddenly the Dark Lord felt much happier.  
  
“You must be wondering who I am,” the greying wizard announced.  
  
"As long as you’re not Dumbledore, I don’t care.”  
  
The wizard chose to ignore this and continued on. “I am Grendel the Really Old. In my youth, I saved the Maple World countless times and went on amazing adventures with my friends.”  
  
“I’m sorry, did you say the Maple World?” The Dark Lord raised his newly grown brows at this Grendel the Old. “What the bloody hell is that?”  
  
“Please refrain from using foul language,” Grendel warned. “This,” he continued gesturing around the neat wood library, “is the Maple World. It is vast and ever-changing (perhaps more than some people like) but it is nevertheless Maple.” The wizard waited for a moment to allow this to sink in but the Dark Lord, who was by no means a foolish man, knew that there was no such thing as the Maple World.  
  
“Then again,” said a small voice at the back of his head, "you did just die. And yet here you are. Anything’s possible.”  
  
“So, now that you know a little bit about me. Who are you?”  
  
“Lord Voldemort,” the Dark Lord responded in his usual grand way.  
  
“I’m sorry, that name is already taken. Would you care to go by Lord Snazzypants? I’ve been hoping to call someone by that name but it seems to be unpopular.” Grendel’s wizened face fell as he pondered this. The Dark Lord was speechless. “So, Lord Snazzypants?” Grendel piped up again hopefully.  
  
“Certainly not,” the Dark Lord sneered. “If Lord Voldemort is ‘taken,’ how about The Dark Lord Voldemort?”  
  
“Too long, it must be less than 14 letters.”  
  
“I AM LORD!”  
  
“No reason for all capitals and no extra characters.”  
  
“I hate you.”  
  
“Taken.”  
  
The Dark Lord sighed. He only had two options, it seemed, and while neither one was particularly pleasant to him, he had to admit that for the first time ever he preferred his real name. He was most certainly not going to walk around the world, Maple or no, being addressed as Lord Snazzypants. Who would ever take him seriously? “Tom Riddle,” he replied.  
  
“How perfectly droll. But if that is your wish, then fine.” Grendel frowned down at Tom Riddle and he realized that Grendel was actually floating in a circle of light. That was…different. Even for someone who had pushed the boundaries of known magic and who could fly. Yep, that’s right. Tom Riddle could fly…  
  
So could Grendel apparently.  
  
Or at least hover.  
  
In a circle of gold, white, and blue light.  
  
Shiny.  
  
“Now Tom Riddle, which job would you like to choose? A thief, pirate, wizard, bowman, or warrior?”  
  
“Erm… I’m a wizard.”  
  
“You would like to be a wizard?”  
  
“I am a wizard.”  
  
“Are you sure?”  
  
“Of course, I’m sure! I was born this way!”  
  
“Well then, CONGRATULATIONS! You’re a wizard, Tom Riddle!”  
  
“Yeah, thanks for the observation,” Tom growled.  
  
“Now to begin your training…”  
  
Tom’s eyes narrowed as he glared at the old wizard and began to wonder just how much more of this he could take. However, before he could turn around and walk out the door he realized something very important. “Where’s my wand?”  
  
“I see you’re eager to go hunting, so here you go. Your very own beginner’s wand!” Grendel handed him a plain rather dull looking wand with a smile.  
  
Tom Riddle knew there was no point in arguing since the man was obviously senile but couldn’t quite keep his bottom lip from trembling. He turned away, walked to the door, wrenched it open, and stepped out.  
  
“What the hell?”  
  
“Watch your language!”


	2. Glowing Portal Near the Top of the Tree Village

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so begins Tom Riddle the wizard's journey to epicness. Now if only he could figure out how to get mesos; and what is Merlin's name is a 'noob'?!

Tom Riddle tumbled down through the foliage and wondered why none of the leaves or branches hurt him. _I must still be invincible,_ he thought with a smirk, _finally something is as it should be._ Then he landed on a hard wood platform with a crunching sound. “For the love of Merlin! What is going on?!”  
  
“You fell, man. Did it hurt?” Tom turned to hex the fool who dared to ask him this question when he realized two very important things. 1) He didn't know any hexes that he could use in the Maple World (which he thought must be real or else he wouldn't have fallen. Period. Thank you very much.) and 2) This man was a blast from the past. Completely harmless and most likely stoned.  
  
Tom stowed his Beginner's Wand in his robes and glared at the hippie in front of him. “'Course not. Who are you?”  
  
“Francois. I make items but fer now I'm on repair duty. Do ya have anythin' that needs to be repaired?”  
  
“No, but do you where I can find my old wand?” Tom asked trying and failing to curb his eagerness.  
  
“Nope. Ya migh' wanna talk to Flora th' fairy. She sells wands and staffs tha' ya can use.” Francois looked Tom up and down then nodded. “Serabi can get ya sumthin' decent to wear.”  
  
Okay, so Tom knew that the robes looked like something a Weasley would wear but did this sniffling tree-hugger, who obviously belonged in the '60s, have to go ahead and judge him? No, he didn't. Tom controlled himself, swished his wand at Francois, a strange blue light appeared, and... Francois popped his gum. Tom stared. They both blinked. “I'll go pay Flora a visit then.”  
  
“You do that.”  
  
“Where is she?”  
  
“Up there,” Francois answered pointing to a glowing portal near the top of the tree village.  
  
“And I get there by...” Tom trailed off.  
  
“Jumpin' an' climbin'.”  
  
“Of course...” Tom sighed and began looking for the easiest path to get there.  
  


**10 Minutes Later**

  
  
Tom finally reached the glowing portal, which turned out to be a doorway into the shop, and doubled over trying to catch his breath. How anyone managed to climb all those ropes and ropes ladders was beyond him. How anyone could practically soar through the trees like a bleedin' howler monkey was even further beyond his understanding. But what really astounded him was how anyone could get from the bottom to the top of this place in a matter of seconds.  
  
He stood up again and entered the store. “Flora! I demand a new wand!” Tom stood with his hands crossed as the fairy looked him over.  
  
“Actually, I'm Serabi,” the fairy announced patiently. “She's Flora.” Serabi gestured to the giggling blue fairy hovering next to her. Why don't their wings move? And why are they so...large? “Can I interest you in a new set of robes?”  
  
“Oh, and a new wand will cost you 1,000 mesos,” Flora interjected.  
  
Tom blinked. “1,000 mesos? ¿Porque quieres los mesos?”  
  
“I'm sorry, but what?”  
  
Feeling like he was missing something, Tom asked very hesitantly. “Wha – ahem – what are mesos?”  
  
Flora and Serabi exchanged a look. “Noob.” It was Serabi who answered very patiently as if speaking to a child which Tom thought was rather rude. Now he knew how Lucius felt when Narcissa spoke to him. “Mesos are coins which we use as currency. It can be used throughout the Maple World to purchase various items which will help you on your adventures.”  
  
“But I don't have any money.”  
  
“Too bad.”  
  
After that neither fairy would answer any of his inquiries or spare him a second glance. Once again Tom sympathized with Lucius, especially after that Azkaban incident. Narcissa didn't pay Lucius any attention. _Poor guy, I wonder how he's managing._


	3. The Man Who Sets Evil On Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the Dark Lord's downfall, the wizarding world is left with three very important questions: 1. Just what do we call Harry Potter now? 2. Who exactly died? 3 (and most importantly). Who is going to clean this mess up?!   
> An Interlude

**Meanwhile in the U.K.**

  
  
“You-Know-Who went _poof_! Just like that,” someone whispered.  
  
“ _Poof_!”  
  
“Poof!”  
  
“He got _burned_!”  
  
“Potter totally exploded on him!”  
  
“Did you see what Mrs. Weasley did to Bellatrix Lestrange?”  
  
“No, I was watch – ”  
  
“Lestrange got owned.”  
  
“Old Voldie turned to ashes!”  
  
“Look at those Death Eaters run!”  
  
“Someone stop 'em!”  
  
“They're more like – like – ”  
  
“Running for their lives!”  
  
“Don't worry, they'll never escape life alive!”  
  
“Potter'll burn 'em too!”  
  
“Everyone – everyone!”  
  
“SHUT IT!” Ginny Weasley's commanding voice carried through the Great Hall and the mass of ex-fighters fell silent at once.  
  
Harry Potter the Boy Who Lived and now the Man Who Burned as some of his fellows were testing out, nodded his gratitude to Ginny. “Now, we know that this tyrant was, for all his faults, only a man.”  
  
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust!”  
  
“The demon burns in Hell!!”  
  
The Man Who Sets Evil On Fire held up his hand. “We have to repair the damage that he caused. But we can only do this together! We need to work together as we did tonight and heal the rifts and mistrust that Voldemort sowed.”  
  
“He has a point!”  
  
“But first we have to see who was sacrificed to ensure this victory. We need to pay our respects to our fallen friends.” Harry Potter the Man Who Extinguishes looked to Ginny Weasley who nodded her head. “So, everyone let's get to it.”  
  


**Three hours later**

  
  
“Welcome to our last broadcast of Potterwatch,” George Weasley announced into his microphone. By his side sat Lee Jordan and Kingsley Shacklebolt. “Last night, our country was freed from the unjust rule of a madman and his many followers. We owe our freedom to Harry Potter the Man Who Played With Fire – ”  
  
“Wait, I thought we agreed on Harry Potter the Fire Extinguisher!” Lee interjected.  
  
“No, the Man Who – ”  
  
“You two can argue about this later,” Shacklebolt spoke in his deep, calming voice.  
  
“You're right, at any rate, Harry Potter has defeated Tom Marvolo Riddle (who we know as Lord Voldemort) in a spectacular duel. Many of his followers were also killed in the battle, one by the outstanding and astonishing mother of the year, Molly Weasley!”  
  
Shacklebolt sighed then spoke, “This morning, we would like to honor the brave ones who perished in last night's battle.”  
  
“Lavendar Brown.”  
  
“Colin Creevey.”  
  
“Fred Weasley.”  
  
“Nymphadora Tonks.”  
  
“Remus Lupin.”  
  
The list of those who fought for the Light went on and on. But finally the three announcers reached the next segment. “Despite the fact that these people fought to keep the Wizarding and Muggle Worlds in darkness, these people should also be remembered as a reminder that evil in the world cannot prevail.”  
  
“Tom Marvolo Riddle.” (Some threw out the cookies they received as payment for joining the Dark Side.)  
  
“Bellatrix Lestrange.” (All the people cheered.)  
  
“Fenrir Greyback.” (Wolf whistles resounded down the streets and many a man was slapped by a purse.)  
  
“Rodolphus Lestrange.” (Silence.)  
  
“Scabius Flint.” (A lot of fan-girls cried at this throughout the world.)  
  
“Vincent Crabbe.” ("Bet he's feeling a bit crabby today, geddit? Crabbe, crabby?" Someone said. They were then smacked.)  
  
The list of Death Eaters that died in the battle also continued on. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, the list ended and George Weasley took a deep breath. “The remaining Death Eaters who attempted to flee will not get very far. They may be able to eat death but they can't outrun justice.”  
  
“Goodmorning, U.K.!” Lee Jordan yelled into the microphone and then the broadcast ended.  
  
In the corner of the Great Hall, Lucius Malfoy looked up at the very cold demeanor of his wife. “Snuggly-Poo?”  
  
She shot him a withering glare and sighing he looked down at the cold stone floor that he was sitting on and drew doodles in the rock dust from a fallen column. But somehow he couldn't stop his bottom lip from trembling without biting it.  
  
Draco Malfoy stood in the close by playing Rock-Paper-Scissors with Gregory Goyle. If he lost one more time he'd have to scrub the whole Hall down with a mop...without magic.  
  
“Rock, paper, scissors!”  
  
“SHOOT!” Draco grabbed the mop and growling to himself began the long process of muggle mopping.


	4. The Young Padawan and the Dragon Master

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom Riddle has much to learn about the Maple World but it's best to start from the beginning. But a little help from his new found friend can go a long way.

Tom Riddle was definitely not handling the adjustment to this new world very well. In fact, he found his new environment quite disconcerting and very hostile. Take for example the bouncy green blob thing. Tom Riddle had been minding his own business, exploring his surroundings, when suddenly this blob decided to bounce on him. And it hurt, dammit!  
  
Of course, Tom Riddle, the former Dark Lord, wasn't the type to take such an insult. But after a well-aimed Avada Kedavra failed, he resorted to hitting the monsters with the beginner's wand Grendel had given him. He missed of course, hit another then another and was suddenly lost in a mob of green bouncy blobs. Then he died.  
  
Again.  
  
He was almost excited for a moment. Maybe if he died here he would get back home. But instead he found himself hovering in a strange ghost form.  
  
“Noob, huh?”  
  
Tom Riddle directed his attention to the newcomer; a very powerful looking wizard with a large, dark, sparking, beautiful dragon at his side. After assessing that this wizard was worth speaking to, Tom Riddle decided to answer. “What's a noob?”  
  
“Hehehe,” the newcomer's face broke into a large grin as he laughed. “Yep, def a noob.”  
  
The former Dark Lord decided he didn't like this word. It sounded very much like an insult especially when it was spelled n-o-o-b. How he knew it was spelled like that was something he didn't quite know, but he knew it.  
  
“A noob is someone whose new to the Maple World, so they don't really know the ins and outs of it.” That made sense, Tom supposed. “If you want, I can help you out.”  
  
Now, Tom Riddle was not the type who asked for help. His Death Eaters of course did not count because they were minions not equals whose aid he sought. This wizard was an equal. An equal who was currently much more powerful than himself. Tom Riddle decided he would “befriend” this wizard.  
  
“OK,” Tom Riddle said.  
  
“LOL, cool. So go respawn and come back; your training begins now, young padawan!” the wizard declared. His name, Tom realized, was OMGItzMeh.  
  
Tom sighed and decided (once more) not to comment on the strangeness of the Maple World. He just really wanted to be in a body right now. Just as he thought that, he Apparated – oh, no, he respawned – and sighed again. Looking around he realized he was in none other than Ellinia, the magical fairy tree-village. This time, he remembered to watch his step while climbing the ropes and jumping from branch to branch. He exited through the portal on the top-right side of the town and stopped in amazement.  
  
OMGItzMeh was _dazzling_. Miss. Miss. Lightening flares wipe out whole row. Jump down onto the next platform. Miss. 1. 1. Miss. “BRNBTCHZ!” That was a fire attack which utterly destroyed the green bouncy blobs. Teleports to random spot on the map area. The dragon charged! Miss. OMGItzMeh hit it on the head with his staff. 1000 damage!  
  
In England, people could not do this. To control a dragon, wizards needed chains and spells powerful enough to penetrate their hide. But this duo was...was...beautiful. Perfect. It was everything he had ever imagined power could produce.  
  
“How did you do that?”  
  
“Do what?”  
  
“EVERYTHING!” Tom Riddle exclaimed breathlessly. “That was – wow!”  
  
“Hehehe.” There was that grin again but this time Tom Riddle didn't mind it at all. It was actually unusually pleasant to behold. “You have much to learn! But first accept the party invite. You have to level up to get stronger.”  
  
“Level up? What level are you?”  
  
“163,” OMGItzMeh stated happily. “Took me forever, too. But I have a demon slayer that's 200 already.”  
  
“You have a demon slayer?”  
  
“Yeah, we can have up to 3 guys. Sometimes we get coupons, though, that expands the amount of guys we could have.”  
  
“Like soul possession or astral projection?”  
  
“Something like that, I guess.”  
  
OMGItzMeh turned to the blobs of green gooey bounciness and attacked. But this time something strange happened. Tom Riddle got some experience from it. He wasn't sure how, but he figured it had something to do with the party. And it was some party alright. Within moments Tom Riddle had leveled and he felt just a little bit stronger. Suddenly he found he could learn a new skill. And when he used it – lo and behold, the bouncy one was destroyed. Brilliant!  
  
“Feel free to loot,” OMGItzMeh said suddenly. "You can sell the stuff for extra cash for now and pick up the mesos. Old school, but if you're just starting out it's a decent way to get upgrades.” The wizard stopped and shimmied down the rope ladder for a moment and suddenly a robe dropped onto the ground underneath him. It was followed by a staff, a pointed hat, gloves, and a pair of shoes. “You probably can't use some of it yet, but take it. It'll help you out later.”  
  
OMGItzMeh's generosity was surprising, endearing, and very, very much appreciated. So much so that Tom Riddle almost had tears welled up in his eyes. Never in all his life had _anyone_ been this kind to him – unless, of course, you counted the allowance Hogwarts gave to the poorer students. And somehow, Tom Riddle did not count this as generosity.  
  
“Thank you,” Tom Riddle said fighting to keep out the emotion.  
  
“No prob.” Then he went back to blasting away the gooey things while Tom gathered the equipment he was still to weak to use.  
  
“Wanna go attack bubblings?”  
  
“What are bubblings?” Tom Riddle asked.  
  
“Stronger versions of slime. They're big and blue.”  
  
“Sure.” Tom Riddle climbed up the trees after OMGItzMeh and then asked the question that had been bothering him since the discovery of the slimes. “Why are these cute things so vicious?”  
  
“No idea.”  
  
“OK, then...”  
  
“Shoot, my mom's calling me. Accept the buddy request?” Tom Riddle didn't need to be asked twice. Why would he need to? There was no way that Tom Riddle wouldn't accept the request to be buddies with his first real friend. “Cya!”  
  
“Bye,” Tom Riddle said and with that OMGItzMeh disappeared leaving Tom Riddle alone in a mob of blue bouncing blobs called bubblings. Tom sighed and began attacking them. By the time the dragon master returned, Tom Riddle told himself, he'd be powerful!


	5. Gather All the Marbles!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The former Dark Lord has, after many trials and tribulations that take us no more than 2 hours usually, reached level 30. Now he has to prove himself to Grendel? Ridiculous! But what other choice does he have if he wants to be super bad?

After countless hours honing his new skills, a light-bulb finally lit up over Tom Riddle's head. Literally. He decided to pull the string to shut it off despite his misgivings.  
  
“Congratulations!” Tom Riddle sighed. He really shouldn't have tried to turn it off. “It looks like you are ready for a job advancement!”  
  
“A job advancement?”  
  
“That's right; a job advancement! Come see me when you are ready for new, spectacular powers!” The little hologram image of Grendel the Really Old disappeared and left Tom Riddle to his thoughts.  
  
Now, Tom Riddle loved powers (especially when they were spectacular) but he didn't particularly want to go back to Ellinia. Well, more like he didn't particularly know where that was or how to get from here to there.  
  
He scratched his head and then looked around at the monsters. How they didn't get tired holding up those stone masks all day was beyond him.  
  
Retrace his steps! He could do that! It was easy; just go back the way he came until he found Ellinia again.  
  
So, he fought his way through the mob of stone masked monsters, hopped onto the ledge, and entered the portal. Wood Masked Monsters; he remembered them. He watched for a moment as another adventure bounced around the map, shooting arrows at the monsters. Then he heard a sound that he learned to love; the adventurer had leveled up. The adventurer paused with the bow at his side and the hat not falling off as he bowed his head. Then he vanished. Just like that. There wasn't even a pop or a puff of smoke.  
  
Had someone called him as OMGItzMeh's mother had?  
  
Tom filed the memory away to ask his mentorish creature at a later time and continued on his journey to the tree village of doo – extraordinary magic.  
  
Twenty minutes and 50% into his experience on level 30, he reached Ellinia. He was becoming quite the speedy adventurer.  
  
“I am here, minion...” Tom stopped for a moment and stood outside Grendel's shiny sphere of sparkliness in silence.  
  
It kept going.  
  
And going.  
  
Grendel blinked.  
  
Tom blinked.  
  
“Your job advancement! You can choose the following paths to become a master in.” He handed Tom a piece of paper.  
  
 _Check One: Blank Box – Cleric. Blank Box – Fire/Poison Wizard. Blank Box – Ice/Lightning Wizard. If you have any questions about the jobs speak to Grendel the Really Old again._  
  
“What can each class do?”  
  
“Clerics are gifted with the ability to heal and give buffs to party members. They are excellent for party quests and friends are not in short supply.”  
  
Pfft, like Tom needed that! It sounded like a class of losers.  
  
“Fire/Poison Wizards use special attacks with fire and poison attributes. Their attacks are quite powerful and may poison monsters which damages them over time.”  
  
Interesting...Tom Riddle liked to watch suffering.  
  
“Ice/Lightning Wizards use attacks with ice and lightning attributes.”  
  
Clearly there was only one choice for Tom Riddle. He looked down at the paper, checked the box, and gave it back to Grendel.  
  
“So you want to be a Fire/Poison Wizards, correct?” Tom nodded. “Then bring me back 30 Dark Marbles as proof of your abilities. Marbles can be obtained by killing the monsters. Be careful; these monsters are stronger than ones you can find in the forest. If you need to leave for any reason before you have all the marbles, you must forfeit and restart when you are ready. Would you like me to send you there now?”  
  
“You mean _I_ have to prove myself to _you_?”  
  
Grendel the Really Old nodded once.  
  
Tom blinked.  
  
Grendel examined his fingernails.  
  
“Fine, I'm ready.”  
  
“Excellent!”  
  
Tom suddenly found himself on a map with a Lupin jumping around on a nearby platform. Several others were below him.  
  
When he'd first seen a Lupin, Tom was surprised. He'd expected it to be wolf. Like that other Lupin who he never got a chance to fight. But that Lupin was dead and gone...good riddance. He was a whining mutt.  
  
But these were monkeys who threw bananas when you hit them.  
  
The strangeness of this was not lost on the former Dark Lord. Pushing his thoughts aside he began the laborious task of proving himself to flamboyant wizard who hovered in his dusty library all day and night and week and month and year.  
  
He reappeared in Grendel's library (spelled hixn) with the 30 marbles and his usually straight hair standing up in every direction. He was covered in banana mush and dirt was smeared on his nose, just there.  
  
Harry Potter! That's who had to messy hair! Tom Riddle quickly fixed it. It wasn't good if he in any way reminded himself of Harry Potter the Boy Who Got Lucky One Too Many Times.  
  
Something about that phrasing didn't sit well with him but he didn't know why.  
  
“Ah, you have successfully gathered all the marbles. I hereby pronounce you a Fire/Poison Wizard.” A special light surrounded him then faded and he felt stronger, better, faster! He learned a new skill and used it.  
  
Fiery brilliance!  
  
He was epic!


	6. The Dark Lord Confusion

For a good portion of his life, DoeADear had served the Dark Lord. It was his destiny to work for the Dark Lord while attempting to save the world from certain doom. It was also what he did best.  
  
That's why, when DoeADear found himself in this brilliantly colored world (which made him less emo), he wasted no time in devoting himself to the Dark Lord. But it was all very odd. Here's why:  
  
1\. They were both Dark Lords. – But this Dark Lord was not that Dark Lord. The bat-winged man here was by no means the snake-faced wizard there. They didn't walk the same or talk the same.  
  
2\. They were both thieves. – Only one Dark Lord stole nothing (or at least it looked that way) and the other Dark Lord stole lives.  
  
3\. They both desired information which could change the world as we know it. – But one of them would change the world for the better and the other would change the world for wizard-kind's better.  
  
4\. They both had mortal enemies. – The difference here would be that the Dark Lord's was a vicious creature of some sort and the Dark Lord's was, well, a teenage boy with emerald eyes. Just like his mother...  
  
5\. They both resided in a dingy dark place. – Except the Fusion Bar was still a good deal nicer than that Riddle Manor.  
  
DoeADear found himself calling the Dark Lord “My Lord” and giving him information about the elusive Harry Potter from time to time. Their conversations went a little something like this:  
  
 _“My Lord.”_  
  
“Um...what?”  
  
“I have received reports.”  
  
“Excellent! What have you heard?”  
  
“Harry Potter has been spotted in Cancun.”  
  
“Who? What? Where? Why?”  
  
“Harry Potter. Spotted. In Cancun. I suppose, it's because they make great mojitos and the beaches are lovely this time of year.”  
  
“...”  
  
“...”  
  
That's about when he usually remembered that this Dark Lord was not that Dark Lord but the Dark Lord of the Maple World who wasn't actually a Dark Lord because the Maple World's Dark Lord was actually called a Black Mage. And neither the Dark Lord nor the Black Mage gave a flying Stirge about Harry Potter.  
  
It was going to take awhile for DoeADear to remember that he was no longer the Dark Lord's trusted OoTP informant but a dangerous, star-weilding assassin. Therefore, DoeADear fixed his claw, readjusted his Free-Spirit Piercing and his Star-Maker badge to glint proudly on his chest, and flung a subi at the adorable bouncy Jr. Celion. Maybe he could find one to make his pet. He'd never had a pet before...


	7. Presenting a Rather Mad Florina Beach Bum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remembrances of times passed at the beach.

AquilaStar, formerly known as Bellatrix Lestrange, would never admit this out loud, but she loved the beach. She, Narcissa, and the bloodtraitor scum used to go to the beach every summer. Those were good times.  
  
AquilaStar stretched out on the hammock tied between two palm tree and sipped her tropical drink contently. To be perfectly honest, this drink was well deserved. After all she had fought off Clangs and Torties to get the coconuts and then she had to go all the way to that Merlin-forsaken tree village and a little passed that to steal bananas from Lupins. And let's face it, anything with the name of Lupin was her enemy anyway.  
  
Well, was. Turns out that fighting the Lupins was very therapeutic.  
  
She sipped at the tropical drink again and sighed. This place was absolutely perfect. It was like a private get away and when she started feel anger welling up in the pit of her stomach, well, there was no better treatment than to go through the next portal and knock some Lorang over the head with her staff.  
  
There were once rumors circulated in Hogwarts saying Bellatrix Black was not only off her head, but that she was destined for a life of blackness. Or maybe they said darkness, but she liked blackness better. It was quite a bit darker than darkness. She blamed these rumors for her descent into the realm of the Dark Arts and her Lord for madness.  
  
At any rate, when it was all said and done, AquilaStar had to admit she had been a touch out of control. That whole situation with that mudblood girl had been...well...madness. It would have been much more sanitary to just crucio the truth out her, but no. She'd gone and got her hands all bloodied up, wasted precious time, and displeased her Lord.  
  
It was embarrassing.  
  
But that was all in the past. The new and improved witch was – new and improved? She thought about this for a moment. If something were new, how could it be improved? It's new. New meaning never before having existed. But if it's improved, well then it existed before but it's better. Improved does not equal new and therefore new does not equal improved. So that whole new and improved spiel is an oxymoron.  
  
She'd been robbed by a bleedin' newbie. She sighed and took another sip of her tropical drink before laying back in the shade of the palm leaves.  
  
 **Three Hours Earlier**  
  
AquilaStar wandered into the Free Market, searching for something that would make her stronger than this silly staff. It was somewhat weak and besides, she needed a new dress. This one wasn't making much of a statement. At least it didn't compare to those powerful players who popped up from time to time. Or the ones who treated Henesys like Bellatrix had treated the Slytherin Common Room. Basically, they just lounged there all day talking nonsense to one another.  
  
Ah, the good old days.  
  
As good as Henesys was, she was quite tired of looking so drab next to those who she was quite sure were not as pure as herself. Not to mention she had plenty of mesos to kick around. All she had to do was fame someone who was selling them and, boom, she had 300,000 mesos.  
  
And if she didn't get her money, Merlin help them.  
  
Of course she couldn't hit them over the head as she normally would have, nor could she crucio them into submission, avada them and take all their mesos, or have their wands then themselves burned, so she had to be threatening in a different way. Thus she learned the wondrous skills of defamation. Lucius Malfoy, that blithering lump of uselessness her Cissy had married, was very skilled at this and after using it once she understood why.  
  
It was easy to bring down the flames of hatred onto others. All she had to do was say horrible (and often untrue) things about them and BOOM! That was the sound she imagined their ego made when their dreams of fame and glory crashed onto the very sharp and pointy rocks of failure.  
  
Often, the threat of defamation was enough to get what she wanted, but sometimes she didn't get her way. She got revenge instead. It was sweet, but not nearly as sweet as the tropical drink she'd be drinking later.  
  
At any rate, she was rich and she wanted pretty things. Shiny things. Powerful things.  
  
And she found it in the new and improved, Maple Staff. It was red and green and rather pretty. It was also powerful.  
  
“S> New & Improved Maple Staff 3mil @@@@@@@@@@@@”  
  
AquilaStar double-checked her wallet. Yes, she had more than enough.  
  
“S> New & Improved Maple Staff 3 mil @@@@@@@@@@@@@”  
  
“S> Ores, plates, jewels, and other mining goods @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@”  
  
“S> Cheap Scrolls – Send trade for info@@@@@@@@@@@@”  
  
“B> Scrolls, equip, and ores @@@@@@@@@”  
  
It was so loud in the Free Market and for a moment she wondered how in the world she was going to make this deal if she couldn't be heard. Then it hit her!  
  
“S>New & Improved Maple Staff 3 mil @@@@@@@@@@@@”  
  
“S> Cheap Scrolls @@@@@@@@”  
  
“B> Maple Staff 3mil @@@@@@@!” AquilaStar declared loudly, wondering why in Merlin's name she'd just said 'at' seven times.  
  
“B> Scrolls, equip, and ores @@@@@@@@”  
  
Oh, that's right. Because everyone else did to make themselves heard. Apparently it worked and a moment later she got a request for a trade.  
  
The dealer held out his hand for the mesos and held the staff out to her gripping it firmly. “Does it work properly?”  
  
“Yep, it's new and improved.”  
  
“How is it better and newer than the other Maple Staffs?” AquilaStar questioned while holding out the mesos, finding she was quite reluctant to part with it. If only she could avada this kid. No one would care if she did. There was so much coming and going and staying and jumping about that she doubted anyone would even notice. But alas!  
  
“Because I've made it better. Want it?”  
  
“Yes.” She made the trade and decided that 3 million mesos was quite enough to spend in one day.  
  
“Thank you!”  
  
“Whatever.” She stalked off, back into Henesys and brought her stolen bananas to the rather stout woman who made her tropical drink in Florina Beach.  
  
 **Now**  
  
Well, lucky for that kid they weren't in her world. They were in this Maple World which had the very therapeutic advantages of lovely bright colors practically everywhere you looked, an endlessly wonderful beach, and Lupins who respawned for venting purposes. All in all, she really, _really_ liked it here.


End file.
